File Under Unbelievable: County Agrees To Pay “Essential Workers” Time And A Half

So while hospital aids are risking their lives for their regular pay, and thousands are losing their jobs, Saratoga County has agreed to pay its “essential workers” time and a half. Given the current economic meltdown and the major financial problems ahead for local governments it’s hard to imagine the rationale for the county to add $320,000 a week to its budget to pay for this.

It is unclear how this decision was made. I contacted Supervisor Tara Gaston by email, and she responded that she was not involved in the decision. I did not bother to email Matt Veitch because he does not reply to my inquiries. I was told by a source that there was some sort of memo of understanding between the county and its unions. If Supervisor Gaston was not involved then I assume this was never voted on by the entire Board. The whole thing is rather murky. It is hard to understand how such a major decision like this could be made without a vote by the Board of Supervisors, but the history of the County adhering to proper procedures is not a happy one so anything is possible.

2 thoughts on “File Under Unbelievable: County Agrees To Pay “Essential Workers” Time And A Half”

I would consider this to be akin to price gouging. Who came up with this idea? It is unprofessional, selfish and brazen. Both Saratoga Springs supervisors should demand that the practice stop immediately and that those who have already received this unearned benefit be required to refund the extra pay.